Ljeskove vode - Crni Potok - Ljeskove vode (06/2022)

Physical difficulty: 2/5
Technical difficulty: 4/5 (not because of the terrain, but the conditions on the trail)

Note #1: This is a failed attempt at reaching Čardak peak on Dilj hill, near Slavonski brod. It turned out to be one of the worst hikes we've ever experienced.

Note #2: The peak is, according to the official Croatian hiking guide, unimpressive. It's bordered by woods and doesn't offer a view. It would only be of interest to people who are collecting peak stamps to complete the Croatian Mountain Trail (Hrvatska planinarska obilaznica). If you're one of those, do yourself a favor and just drive up to Ljeskove vode, take the most direct route up to Čardak which is on a dirt road which should be in decent condition, get that peak stamp, return the same way you came - and forget about it forever.

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The circular trail starts at the artificial lake Ljeskove vode and should be about 10km long. It's described in the trails uploaded by several local hikers as a nice and easy hike through the woods, suitable for whole families, pets and also cyclists throughout all seasons.

It turned out to be the complete opposite.

In the forest nearest to the lake, the small flies were so bothersome that they constantly flew into our eyes and mouths and nose. We had to pull a tube scarf our face and put sunglasses on, just so that you could walk normally.

On top of that, very soon the trail become extremely overgrown, to the point where we were going through neck-high vegetation where the path wasn't visible at all. In the process we got scratched by thorns, stung by nettles and also several bees. We relied completely on the GPS to find our way out of the woods and arrived at a dirt road.

The dirt road was muddy and filled with huge water puddles in places. A local animal farmer who we've met at the abandoned village of Crni Potok (the halfway point of the trail) confirmed that the rest of the trail was equally overgrown, borderline unpassable, and also that a portion of the trail was swept away by torrential rains.

At this point we've decided to give up on Čardak altogether, and return to the car as soon as possible. We ended up cutting it off near the Čardak peak base, through an overgrown old road which was in sort-of passable conditions.

Overall, an extremely disappointing hike.